...The Berber languages are a group of very closely related languages and dialects spoken in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and the Egyptian area of Siwa, as well as by large Berber communities in parts of Niger and Mali. A relatively sparse but very old population extends into the whole Sahara and the northern part of the Sahel. Berber belongs to the Afroasiatic languages phylum. There is a movement among speakers of the closely related northern Berber languages to unite them into a single standard Berber. The name Tamazight, which traditionally referred specifically to Central Morocco Tamazight and is used by the native speakers of Tarifit, is being increasingly used for this standard Berber, or even for Berber as a whole. Its usage is less consistent in some areas like the Sous and Kabylia where locals name their language Tashelhit or Taqbaylit rather than Tamazight. Due to the rising Berber cultural and political activism and its recent prominence in the North African media, the popularity of the term Tamazight made it known and recognizable by virtually every citizen in North Africa including non-Berber speakers. Read full entry

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